Handcuff.



Patented Mar. I9, l90l. F. .I. SBHIELE.

No. 670,25l.

H A N D C U F F.

(Application filed Apr. 30, 1900.)

(No Model.)

INVENTOI? ATTOR/V Y8 ms NORRIS v-zrsns co, FNDTO-LIYHQ. WASNINGT'ON, n.c, v

UNTTnn STATES FREDERICK J. SOHIELE, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

HANDCUFF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 670,251, dated March19, 1901.

Application filed. April 30, 1900.

T0 ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK J. SoHIELE, of Syracuse, in the county ofOnondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Handcufis, of which the following, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in handcuffs, and has for itsobject the production of a simple and practical device of the charactermentioned in which the movable jaws are automatically locked in theirinoperative and operative positions and are automatically forced intooperative position when said device is placed in position upon the wristor other member of the body.

To this end the invention consists in the combination, construction, andarrangement of the component parts of a handcuff, as hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure l is a plan view, partly in section, of a handcuff embodying myinvention. Figs. 2 and 3 are plan views, partly broken away, of theadjacent hinged ends of the parts seen in Fig. 1, the jaws being closedin Fig. 2 and open in Fig. 3. Figs. 4: and 5 are inner face views,respectively, of the parts seen in Figs. 2 and 3. Figs. 6 and 7 aresectional views taken, respectively, on lines 6 6 and 7 7, Figs. 2 and3. Figs. 8 and 9 are isometric views of the adjacent portions of thejaws, and Fig. 10 is an isometric view of the locking member for holdingthe jaws in their inoperative positions.

Referring to the drawings, Ct I) represent oppositely-arranged jawshaving corresponding ends hinged together and their opposite endsmovable toward and away from each other and provided with engagingshoulders detachably interlocking with each other. The hinged ends ofthe jaws a b preferably consist of enlarged cylindrical portions 0 d,arranged one above the other, and are provided with hollow substantiallycentral hubs cf, telescoping with each other for forming a pivotalbearing upon which the sections a I) move. The portions 0 d are usuallyprovided with recesses g h, extending outwardly from their adjacentfaces for forming annular Serial No- 145806. (No model.)

flanges M, which are arranged substantially concentric with the hubs ef.The portions of the jaws a. b adjacent to the cylindrical portions 0 dare preferably formed of greater thickness than the depth of the flangest'j, extend in opposite directions beyond the adjacent faces of theflanges, and are provided with shoulders is Z for engaging similarshoulders m n, projecting from the peripheries of the cylindricalportions 0 d for limiting the outward movement of the free ends of thesections a b. The inner portions of the flanges 't'j of the cylindricalportions 0 d are formed of less height than the remaining portions ofsaid flanges for forming a slot 0 and shoulders 19 g, which form the endwalls of the slot 0, and are movable toward and away from each other asthe sections a d are closed and opened.

1' s are cut-outs extending through the inner walls of the flanges andpreferably beyond the adjacent face of the portions of the flanges inwhich the slot- 0 is formed, are movable into and out of registrationwith each other, and preferably for:n continuations or extensions of theslot 0 for receiving a locking member presently described.

The sections a b may be held in their assembled position by any desiredfastening means, here shown as consisting of a yoke having separatedears to a, engaged with the opposite faces of the cylindrical portions 0d and provided with apertures alined with similar apertures extendingthrough the outer walls and hubs e f of said portions 0 d, the apertureof one of the ears being threaded for receiving a screw which is passedthrough said apertures and hubs and serves to hold the adjacent partstogether. The free ends of the sections a b are automatically forced totheir operative or closed position by a suitable spring, as 12, arrangedbetween the portions 0 (Z of the sections a b within the recesses g hand having its intermediate portion encircling the hubs e f and itsopposite ends engaged with suitable shoulders, as apertures w w, formed,respectively, in the flanges z'jand communicating with the recesses g h.

The sections a b are held in their open or inoperative position by asuitable locking and lock the sections in their open or inop erativepositions. The inner and outer ends of the plunger are preferably formedof greater area or width than the slot 0 and the cut-outs r s, the innerenlarged end being arranged in the recesses 9 hand adapted to engage theinner faces of the flaugesij for limiting the outward movement of theplunger.

The outer end of the plunger is formed of substantially the same contouras the adjacent portions of the sections a b, and when said sections arelocked in their inoperative position the inner face of said enlargedouter end of the plunger is separated from the adjacent faces of saidsections in order that when desired to apply the handculf to the wristor other member of the body it is only necessary to slightly press theouter face of the plunger against the wrist or other member, whereuponthe shoulders 'g y are forced inwardly out of engagement with the sidewalls of the cut-outs r s and the free ends of the sections ab areimmediately and automatically closed upon the wrist or other member bythe spring 1;.

The means for automatically forcing the plunger into operative positionfor locking the sections (L b in their open position preferably consistsof a spring .2, arranged in one of the recesses g h and having itsintermediate portion engaged with the inner face of the enlarged innerend of the plunger a: and its opposite ends engaged with the flange orflanges v) j of the cylindrical portions 0 d. The free ends of thesections a b may be locked in their closed position by anydesired means,here shown as consisting of a springactuated catch 2, provided in one ofthe sections and adapted to engage either of a series of notches orshoulders 3, formed on the other of said sections, as seen in Fig. l.The catch 2 may be forced out of operative position by any desiredmeans, as a key 4, also seen in Fig. l. The means for locking the freeends of the sections a b in their closed positions forms no part of mypresent invention, and it is therefore unnecessary to further illustrateor describe the same.

The operation of my invention will now be readily understood uponreference to the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings,and it will be noted that considerable change may be made in the detailcon struction and arrangement of the parts herein shown and describedWithout departing from the spirit thereof. Therefore I do not limitmyself to the precise construction and ar rangement thus shown anddescribed.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A handcuff comprising movable jaws each pivoted to the other andprovided with a concentric flange having a cut-out, and a plungerhavingits intermediate portion movable into said cut-outs when the jawsare sition audits opposite ends rovided with enlarged heads for thepurpose described.

2. The combination of the jaws of a handcuff having adjacent cylindricalends lapped one upon the other and each provided with a hollowsubstantially central hub projecting from its inner face and telescopingwith each other for forming a pivotal bearing for the jaws, saidcylindrical portions having their peripheral walls provided withcut-outs movable into and out of registration with each other, and aplunger movable in said cut-outs and having its inner end movablebetween the cylindrical portions of the jaws and provided with a headformed of greater width than said cut-outs.

8. A handcuff comprising movable jaws each pivoted to the other andprovided with a concentric flange having a cut-out, said out outs beingmovable into and out of registration with each other, a plunger movableinto said cutouts, and provided with an enlarged inner end adapted toengage the inner face of the flange, and means arranged within theflange for forcing said plunger outwardly.

4. A handcuff comprising movable jaws having cylindrical adjacent endsprovided with annular flanges and substantially centralinwardlyprojecting hubs telescoping with each other, said flanges beingformed with cut-outs movable into and out of registration with eachother, a plunger movable in said cut-outs and having its inner endprovided with a head adapted to engage the inner faces of said flangesand its outer end provided with an enlargement, and a spring arrangedwithin the flange for forcing said plunger outwardly.

5. A handculf comprising movable jaws having cylindrical adjacent endspivoted to each other, and provided with inwardly-projecting annularflanges, means interposed between the cylindrical ends of the jaws forantomatically locking said jaws in their open position, and acoil-spring having one end engaged with the flange of one of the jawsand its other end engaged with the flange of the other jaw for forcingsaid jaws toward each other.

6. A handcufli' comprising movable jaws pivotally connected to eachother and provided with substantially central hubs telescoping With eachother for forming said pivotal connections and with annular flangesencircling said hub, said flanges being provided opened for locking thewill their open po-.

IIO

with out outs extending therethrongh, a In Witness whereof I havehereunto set my spring for forcing the jaws to their closed hand this23d day of April, 1900.

position, a plunger interposed between the pivotal ends of said jaws andmovable into FREDERICK SOHIELE' the out-outs for looking the jaws, intheir open YVitnesses:

positiomand a spring forautomatioallyforc- C. E. RAFFERTY,

ing the plunger into operative position. H. P. DENISON.

